Mooring station for dirigibles



Nm. 25 u MOORI'NG STATION FOR DIRIGIBLES Filed July 8.. 1921 5 sheets-sheet 1 J. MASON MORING STATION FOR DIRIGIBLES Filed July e. 1921 5 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR W/T/,VE/ES:

A TuToRNEx/S i @hlx/Mason@ www. 25, 92@ v 'LSS-l J. MAsoN MOORING STATION FOR DIRIGIBLES Filed July 8, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 2716i M FIC?. K

IN VEN TOR:

,'P' a4( ATTORNEY J. MASON MooRING STATION FOR DIRIGIBLES 'FiledJuly 8. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 A INVENToR.-.

TTORNE YS.

Patented Nwas, reza.'

JOHN MASON, OF CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY.

MOORING STTION FOR IDIRIG-IBLES.

Application ined Juiy s,-

To all whom t may concern.' i. Be it known that I, JOHN MASON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Cape May, in the county of Cape May and State of New Jersey,` have inventedcertainne'w and useful Improvements in Mooring Stations for Dirigibles,.whereof the following isa speciication, reference being had to the accomy'inven'tion relates to mooring stations for air craft more especially of the `type known as dirigibles. Air ships, on account of the enormous size of their gas bags or envelopes, are susceptible to being bufeted by spasmodic wind disturbances, and hencev liable to complete destruction if not adepalnyingdrawings.

y. quately protected against, such contingencies. For this reason, it has in the past been deemed safest to completely house the dirigibles when at rest, and accordingly large hanprovided for this purpose. Such housings were not only expensive to build apt on account of their immobility dilicult o access especially in stormy weather and the wind aft a dirigible could not be berthed without danger of damage or destruction by high winds blowing from adverse directions.

The primary object of my invention is to obviate the objections and difficulties above pointed out and this desideratum I attain by provision of a mooring station which is capable of being aligned with the'wind so that Alandings or launchings may be made under any weather conditions, and which is further capable of completely berthing a dirigible and moreover has facilities for adequatelypgotecting the dirigible against er the latter has been berthed. My invention issuceptible of beingXembodied in variousv forms useful both at sea and on land, each of the lembodiments havin the characteristics above noted, and certain of them the further advantage of being able, under certain conditions; of aligning themselves automatically with the wind. y

Other objects and attendant advantages of my invention will become readily, apparent from the detailed description which follows., u L

In the drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation of one type of mooring station for dirigibles in the form of 'a mother ship completely equipped for self-propulsion.

Fig. II is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. I. A

Fig. III is a longitudinal sectional viewl 1921. Serial No. 483,140.

through the forwardend of the ship indicated by the arrows III-III in Fig. II, shnwing certain important structural detai s. Fig. IV is a cross sectional view through the ship viewed in the direction of the arrows IV-IV'in FigsI and II.

Fig. V is a cross lvsection along the line V-V in Figs. I and II.

Fig. VI isa detail view form of reinforced, lire proof sheeting which I employ asa lining for a protective wind shield for the dirigible.

Fig. VII is a cross sectional view of the linking. Y

Fig. VIII is a cross section on an enlarged scale of one of the metallic reinforcing strips incorporated in the lining.

Fig. IX is a diagrammatic view showing, by way of example, one method of interconnecting the lining sheets. y U

Fig. IX is a plan view of a modified form of my invention in the form of a oat capable of being towed from place to place.

Fig. XI is a side elevation of the above modification. f ft Fig. XII is a plan view of still another modified form of my invention adapted for use on land; vand Fig. XIII is a side elevation of the same.

Referring first to the type of my`invention illustrated in Figs. I to V-inclusive, the mooring station there shown is in the form of a mother ship whose hull 1, it will be noted, is generally of standard desi k and construction. The bow of the ship is arched by a superstructure 2 whose forward end, vtapers toward the stem of the shi as clearly shown in Figs. I,LII and'III. aid superstructure 2 is built preferably of standard steel shapes and is cross braced after a well known manner as suggested in'the illustration so as to be thoroughly r'ilgid' against displacement or deformation.

skeleton fra-me work thus afforded is rlined along the interior, as indicated conventionally at 3 in Fig. III, with appropriateifireproof sheeting and serves as a wind shield for the protection of the forward end or nose of the gas bag or envelope of the dirigible indicated comprehensively by the letter D. The lining referred to may be of any material suitable for the intended purpose, although I prefer to use sheeting such as illustrated in Figs. VI and VII. In this sheeting, a layer of reinforcing wire mesh is interposed between layers 6, 7 of the fire roof fabric for example, woven asbestos or the like, a suitable adhesive cement being employed to secure the component layers together. Greater stiffness and rigidity are afforded by incorporation in the wire mesh, both longitudinally and transversely thereof,

of metallic strips 8-8 having an arched cross section as clearly show n on an enlarged l in Fig.

made simply byl overlapping and turning over contiguous ends of adjacent sheets. In practice,- I prefer to coat the surface of the material which is exposed to the exterior with a suitable paint or sizing so as to render .the same impervious to moisture. Any approved means may be employed in. securing lthe lining to the skeleton frame of the wind shield, for this reason, a detailed showing as tothe precise manner of attachment has been omitted from the drawings.

Within the wind shield is hung a bumper net 10, preferably of asbestos rope, which is supported by lilies or ropes 11-11. By virtue of its characteristic, capacity for yielding, said net 10 conforms readily to the shape of the nose of the dirigible D and,I serves to absorb shocks incidental :to berthing ofthe craft thus protecting the same Y against injury.

being crossed,

Secured at intervals along opposite sides of ,the ship are postsor poles 12--12 between which are hungrope slings 13-13, the latter as best seen in Fig. II, to form lointly a cradle for supporting the dirigible. The slings 13 are adjustable as to length (suitable pulleys being usedl after a manner common to ship rigging) so that they may be drawn or relaxed as found necessary. In orden to facilitate landing of the -dirigible on the ship, it is desirable rthat the posts or poles 12 be temporarily moved out of the Way. To this end, I have mounted them so that they may be swung [to a horizontal position, upon shafts 15 which extend to the eX- terioi` ofhe ships hull 1 for actuation under suitable operating means, not shown. After being properly placed upon the supporting sling cradle, the dirigible is securely lashed to both sides of the ship, by a series of guy ropes or cables V16-16.

The main deck 17 of the ship, in order to accommodate the cabins and various other appendages of the diri 'ble, is recessed as` clearly shown in Figs. I I, IV and V. The interior of ,the hull-y is subdivided or 'partitioned as suggested in several illustrations of the drawings, to afford quarters for crew storage rooms for equipment and supplies necessary to navigation of air craft, also machine shops whereinrepairs may be made as well as space whereby the ship is propelled.

Movements of shipsl are controlled from a pilot house 20 centrally located directly forward of the Wind shields 2 and which is accessible from the main deck by way of ladders 21h21. Gang ways 22-22 lead from the pilot house to opposite sides of the wind shield, and still another gang way `23 leads centrally to the very top of the Wind shield toa station of vantage wherefrom the commandant may readily direct various voperations incidental to the landing of the dirigible. lWi-th a view toward preserving absolute symmetry of design, I make use of two 'smoke stacks 25--25,` one at each side of the wind shield at the bow of the ship, said stacks being flattened as best seen in Fig. I so that the necessary flue area may for boilers and engines be obtained within the confines of the restricted available spaces at these regions.

.- A mooring station in fthe form of a mother ship such as above set forth having facilities for self-propulsion may, in emergencies, be

readily manuvered to maintain the tive shield 2 in a head on position, and the dirigible maintained in alignment with the wind to the exclusion of. any possibility of damage or destruction.I When at rest, the ship is free to swing about its anchor as a fulcrum in obedience to the influence of the wind so that the alignmentof-the dirigible with respect to the wind, under this condition becomes absolutely automatic. I,

For fthe purpose of preventin side drifting of the ship when at anchongl have proprotecvded at opposite sides of the bow in line with the rear vofthe Wind shield, Wings or fins 26-26 which are hinged. to the hull y and thus capable of bein not in use. They are he d vextended inthe positions shown, by means of braces 27-27,

which in practice, may be made either detachable or collapsible so as to permit swingas aforesaid.

i lIn the modification shown in Figs. X and swung back when XI, the mooring station is inthe form ofl llO a iioat comprising almain section 30, and

a series of auxiliary pontoon or float sections 31-31 which are interchangeable and hence may be increased or decreased in number. according to the length of the dirigible which is to be moored. The auxiliary pontoon or float sections 31-31 are coupled rigidly to one another and to the main float section `30 by fasteninjgx devices 32-32 of appropriate design whic will allow` of readily connecting or disconnecting. The main section 30 has, at its bow end, a wind shield 33 which is identical in construction throlghout to' that represented in Figs. I. and Although omitted fromthe drawings, in this instance, `a rope sling cradle, together `with associated appurtenances such as' hereinbefore described, is to be used for supporting the dirigible, and guy ropes also for the purpose of lashing the same to the float. Thel float type of mooring may be readily towed from place to place, and, with the exceptionv of capacity for self-propulsion, has all the advantages hereinbefore attributed to thelirst embodiment of my invention. t"

Referring now to the organization designed for land use shown in Figs. XII and XIII, a platform 40 takesrthe place of the hull and floats of the previous embodiments. Said platform, at its forward end, is considerably enlarged as indicated at 4l so as to'be capable of supporting, in addition to prising the windshield 42, a number of buildings i3-43, 44-44, which are serviable as shopsy and store rooms for supplies and equipment. AThe platform has facilitiesy for lashing the dirigible after a manner already well understood and is mounted on trucks -,45 which run on circular tracks 46-46 disposedaconcentrically about a fixed pivot 47. In practice, the trucks 45-45 may be operated in any convenient manner, preferably electrically, to move the platform about the pivot 47 to align the supported dirigible with the wind' forlfthe purpose of safety as already well understood.

'Having thus described my invention, l claim:

1. A mooring station for dirigiblesf com- .an automatically orientating anchorage, a shield nmounted thereon to receive and enclose only the nose of the dirigible, collapsible cradle slings for supporting the dirigible and means for securing the dirigible to the anchorage.

2. A mooring station for dirigibles comprising a support capable of completely berthing a dirigible, said support being sustained with capacity for automatic, or1entation with the wind to facilitate landin or launching of the dirigible, and provided with a wlnd shield in the form of a bumper protective shell conformed to receive the nose end only of the dirigible, and a flexible cradle for supporting the dirigible at anchor.r

3. A mooring station for dirigibles, comprising a freely movable' anchorage, a shield mounted thereon adapted to receive and enclose the nose only of the dirigible, whereby the latter may be guided thereinto without injury, a lining of exible material within the shleld preventin contact between the latter and the dirigib e, collapsible-cradle slings for supporting the dirigible, and

means for securing the dirigible to the anchorage. v

4. A mooringstation for dirigibles comprising a support capable of completely of adequate length for dirigible disposed to the rear berthing a dirigible and provided with a 'wind shield conformed to adequately reing the dirigible.

5. A mooring station for dirigibles in the form of an automatically orientating float completely berthing a dirgible 'having at one extremity an enclosure adapted to receive the fore end or nose only of the dirigible, and a collapsible cladle 'for supporting the dirigible at anc or.

6. A mooringstation for dirigibles in the .form of a float capable of completely berthcessed to accommodate the'appendagesof -thedirigible and provided at its bow with an enclosure of appropriate form for receiving and protecting the forward end or nose'only of the dirigible. 1

7. A mooring station for dirigibles comprising a -support capable of completely berthing a dirigible and of automatically aligning to the direction vof the wind; a bumper wind shield conformed to adequately receive and enclose the end or nose only of the dirigible; a collapsiblecradle of crossed slings having the capacity of self to the shape of the dirigible to su port the remaining portion; and means for liolding the dirigible securely vto said cradle. y

8. A mooring station for dirigibles comprising a support capable of vcompletely berthing a dirigible and of being aligned in the direction of the wind; a wind shield conformed to adequately receive the end or nose of the dirigible; a series of posts disposed at intervals at eachside of the support to the rear of the wind shield, said posts being pivoted so thatv they may be swung out of the way preparatory to landing or launching the dirigible; adjustable rope or cable slings crossed between, and suspended from the tops of said posts forming jointly a supporting cradle for the dirigible; and means for holding the dirigible securely to said cradle. v

`9. A mooring station for dirigibles comprising a support capable of completely berthing a dirigible and of automatically aligning with the direction of the wind; a bumper wind shield conformed to adequately receiveand enclose the end or nose only of the dirigible; a cradle for supporting the of the wind shield, ysaid cradle having the' capacity for being YVcollapsed preparatory to and for the purpose of facilitating landing or launching of the dirigible, and means for securing the dirigible securely to said cradle.

10. A mooring station for dirigibles in adapting it-` ing a dirigible and having its main deck re- 1 the form of a'ioat of suitable length for completely berthing a dirigible; a wind shield, at the bow of the float, conformed t0` adequately `receive the forward end or nose of the dirigible; and wings or ins projecting from opposite sides of the float in line with the rearof the wind shield, serviceable in preventing sidewise drifting of the ot when a1; anchor, said wings or fins being hinged so as'to be swingable' to an inopem- 10 ltive position when the ioat is in motion. In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name at Cape May, New Jersey, this 27th day of June, 1921.

; JOHN MASON. Witnesses:

SAMUEL F. ELDREDGE,

KATHERINE L. ELDREDGE. 

